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Man charged in Kentucky HOA deaths kills himself

Updated at: 10/20/2013 7:05 PM
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(AP) LOUISVILLE, Ky. - An inmate awaiting trial on charges of killing two men at a homeowners association meeting committed suicide by hanging himself from a bed sheet in his cell, jail officials said.

Louisville Metro Corrections Director Mark Bolton said in a news release that Mahmoud Yousef Hindi was discovered hanging in his cell around 3:55 p.m. on Saturday.

Bolton said workers performed CPR on Hindi, who was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead about an hour later. Officials said Hindi was not on suicide watch and was alone in his cell. He’d been seen praying in his cell about 10 minutes before his body was found.

In September of 2012, Hindi took a loaded gun to a homeowners association meeting at an eastern Louisville church, authorities said. Police said that after waiting about a half-hour, he shot association President David Merritt, 73, and member Marvin Fisher, 69. No one else was hurt.

Hindi had been involved in longstanding property disputes with the board, and one was over a fence Hindi erected in his yard. The size and location of the fence, and later a driveway extension, became such sore points that the Spring Creek Homeowners Association took Hindi to court several times.

In a videotaped interview with police, Hindi said he went to the meeting hoping to resolve the issues with Merritt and Fisher.

"I was hoping that I could reason with them," Hindi told police. "But I said to myself, if they are not going to resolve peace(fully) with me, honestly, I had to kill them. So I took my gun."

A July 2014 trial date had been set for Hindi, who could have faced the death penalty. He also faced seven charges of wanton endangerment.

Hindi, a former doctor, was involved in multiple altercations while jailed. He was hospitalized in March after a fight with officers and was charged on New Year’s Day with assault and terroristic threatening after he was accused of throwing water on an officer and threatening to kill him.